Palmetto Promise President & CEO Wendy Damron Appointed by US Commission on Civil Rights

Education
Blog · March 24, 2025

We are proud to share that Palmetto Promise Institute’s President & CEO Wendy Damron was appointed by the US Commission on Civil Rights to the advisory committee for the State of South Carolina.   Below is the press release from the US Commission on Civil Rights regarding Damron’s appointment: On Friday, March 21, 2025, the

RELEASE: DeVos Foundation Donates $250,000 to Palmetto Promise Institute’s ESTF Families Rescue Fund

Education
Blog · March 13, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DeVos Foundation Donates $250,000 to Palmetto Promise Institute’s ESTF Families Rescue Fund COLUMBIA, SC — The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation has made a generous $250,000 donation to the ESTF Families Fund, an initiative launched by Palmetto Promise Institute to assist low-income families impacted by the South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision to

News Release: South Carolina Voters Want Energy Grid Modernization

Energy
Blog · February 5, 2025

Columbia, S.C. (February 4, 2025) — A supermajority of South Carolina’s general election voters overwhelmingly support the modernization of the state’s energy grid and a move away from the currently siloed monopoly-driven power systems. In a poll of 600 registered general election voters, 80 percent of those surveyed favored moving away from the current monopolistic

RELEASE: New Donors Push Palmetto Promise ESTF Families Rescue Fund to $2.2 million

Education
Blog · January 27, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Donors Push Palmetto Promise ESTF Families Rescue Fund to $2.2 million  COLUMBIA — To kick off National School Choice Week, Palmetto Promise Institute President Wendy Damron announced today that new support from three (3) additional donors has pushed the Palmetto Promise ESTF Families Rescue fund to $2.2 million. The Rescue Fund goal,

RELEASE: Columbia School Fair Celebrates School Choice and Opportunities in South Carolina 

Education
Blog · January 24, 2025

COLUMBIA, South Car. (Jan. 24, 2025) – Families in South Carolina are eager to explore their school choice options, and dozens of schools in the Columbia and Lexington area are gathering to meet that need at a school fair timed to coincide with School Choice Week. No matter what type of school they’re looking for,

President & CEO Wendy Damron Given Major Award for School Choice Efforts

Education
Blog · January 14, 2025

We are pleased to announce that Palmetto Promise Institute President & CEO Wendy Damron was awarded the Heritage Foundation’s 2025 Doer Award at the Awakening by Heritage Conference this past weekend. Heritage defines “Doers” as individuals who are making a difference in their personal lives or fields of work, advancing Heritage’s mission and values. The

RELEASE: Ravenel B. Curry III Donates $500,000 to Palmetto Promise Institute’s ESTF Families Rescue Fund

Education
Blog · November 12, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ravenel B. Curry III Donates $500,000 to Palmetto Promise Institute’s ESTF Families Rescue Fund COLUMBIA — Palmetto Promise Institute today announced a generous $500,000 donation from South Carolina native Ravenel B. Curry III to the ESTF Families Rescue Fund, a fund established to support families impacted by the recent SC Supreme Court

RELEASE: Palmetto Promise Institute Announces ESA Family Rescue Fund for School Choice Families

Education
Blog · October 17, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Palmetto Promise Institute Announces ESA Family Rescue Fund for School Choice Families Donor will make ESTF families whole until December 31, 2024 COLUMBIA — Palmetto Promise Institute President & CEO Wendy Damron announced today that a generous donor has stepped forward to offer funding for private school students who were impacted by

Reactions to SC Supreme Court ESA Ruling

Education
Blog · September 12, 2024

In the wake of the South Carolina Supreme Court’s ruling striking down the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) program weeks into the school year, South Carolina’s leaders have strongly spoken out against the decision, one which we believe is faulty and incorrectly decided based on a fundamental misreading of the state constitution and case

Release: SC Supreme Court Finds Education Scholarships Unconstitutional

Education
Blog · September 11, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SC Supreme Court Finds Education Scholarships Unconstitutional 2,880 students see their scholarships cancelled weeks into the school year COLUMBIA — In a ruling handed down today, the South Carolina Supreme Court found in favor of the plaintiffs in Eidson et al. v. SC Department of Education et al. The 3-2 decision, written